


One Evening in January

by SleeplessInGeneral



Series: Dalton Big Bang 2020 [3]
Category: Dalton Academy Series
Genre: F/M, Panic Attacks, Spencer is a great boyfriend come on, functional timeline not the canonical mess we call a timeline, one where valentines day is actually in February, someone hug Merril please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleeplessInGeneral/pseuds/SleeplessInGeneral
Summary: (Extremely late) Dalton Big Bang day 3 - Hanover house----At six o'clock on a Friday, one evening in January, Merril had the brilliant idea to teach Spencer how to bake.
Relationships: Merril Portman/Spencer Willis
Series: Dalton Big Bang 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770739
Kudos: 4





	One Evening in January

**Author's Note:**

> I realize how late this fic is, and yet... and yet.

At six o'clock on a Friday, one evening in January, Merril had the brilliant idea to teach Spencer how to bake.

"It's too thick, honey," she laughed as she watched Spencer roll dough for the babka she taught him to make. "The dough needs to be thinner!"

"Oh, it needs to be thinner?" Spencer mocked her, kissing her head. "Chef Merril said it needs to be thinner?"

She just laughed some more, opening the Nutella jar while Spencer rolled the dough some more, and then went to get the bread baking tin and prep it with baking paper. She couldn't fault him, it was his first time baking this after all, and maybe she went with a bit of a complicated recipe… but he didn't seem to mind.

"Thin enough now?" Spencer moved aside to show her the dough, and with a check, Merril nodded.

"Shape it into a rectangle, I'll get the spatulas."

"Get me a knife, then?"

"...Spencer, _shape the dough into a rectangle_. Don't cut it."

"I was joking, honey."

Merril showed Spencer what to do as the two of them went, helping him spread the Nutella and showing him how to roll the dough, and once the dough was cut in two and twisted around itself and put aside to proof, she set a timer and covered the tins with a towel.

"Now we let them rise, and then we're going to—"

Then the power went out.

"It's all good!" Merril swore up and down, trying to seem calm but obviously not. "We can just… put it in the fridge for now, it'll be fine…"

"The fridge is also gone, baby."

"I know!" She froze then. "I'm sorry, I just… I don't know what's coming over me, I…"

"It's all okay. Merril, it's all good… what's the worst that could happen?"

"It won't be a cake, it'll just… it'll be a brick of baked dough, and we won't be able to eat it, and—"

"And if that happens, we'll make it again. It's not like it's a life or death situation…"

It wasn't until Merril tackled him in a hug, crying into his chest, that Spencer realized what's happening.

"Baby, do you want me to check if any other house has a blackout too?" She nodded. "So I need my hands…"

"Okay…"

She kept hugging him, but now under his arms, so he could use his phone. And hope for the best...

* * *

"...even the main building's blacked out," he told her after a few phone calls. "According to Justin."

Merril, who up until now has only been crying quietly, started sobbing right there. Spencer has never seen her like this, and it's not like it was her fault, she just…

"Baby, can you breathe…?"

Merril nodded, then shook her head no after a second.

"Does it feel like you're having a panic attack? Have you had a panic attack before?"

She shook her head again.

"Okay… do you want me to carry you to the couch? You need water, and—"

She just nodded and tried to hug him tighter, so he picked her up to the couch in the common room, going to get a cup of water right afterwards. Meanwhile, Merril pulled over a stray blanket, trying to hide away from the world.

"Hey, Merril. Look at me." He pulled back the blanket, just to see her all curled up within herself. "Is it the cake, or the dark?" When she didn't react, he tried again. "Take my hand, squeeze once for cake and twice for dark."

She took his hand and squeezed twice. Oh dear.

"Do you want me to turn on the phone flashlight or get candles? Once for flashlight, two for candles."

One squeeze.

"Okay…" He turned on his phone, putting it close to her so she could see the light. "Hey… hey, can you breathe with me? Merril, breathe with me."

She nodded, so he took her hand, watching her do her best. "In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four… in, two, three, four…"

"Spencer," she mumbled after a few minutes, sounding quite weak. "I…"

"Shh, love, it's okay. Hey…" He squeezed her hand back, offering the cup of water with his free hand. "Drink this, and then, can you name five things you can see?"

"I…" she drank the water in one chug, only stopping when Spencer asked her to. "Y… you, and your phone… Sydney sent you a message…"

"I'll answer later. Three more things."

"Umm… the tree outside the window… the playstation over there, umm… and, the, the stairs."

"Good, love, you're doing great. Now, can you tell me four things you can hear?" Merril shook her head. "Come on, I have faith in you."

"Your voice, the… the rain… Umm, I can… I can hear some people outside…"

"One more. You're doing amazing."

"I… I c— someone is singing upstairs…"

"Good. You're amazing, love. Now, three things you can feel."

"Your, your hand, and the blanket… and the couch…"

"Great job. Now, can you tell me two things you can smell?"

"Rain, and… and yeast."

"One last thing, one thing you can taste?"

"Nutella…"

"There we go." Spencer pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back a bit. "How do you feel?"

"Still… still bad…"

"But better?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm proud of you."

She just sniffed, letting him hug her more.

* * *

The blackout lasted about an hour, during which the two of them just rolled a new D&D character and played Uno until Spencer's phone died. And when it was over, Merril calmed down, went to wash her face, and then checked the oven to see if she can still bake.

"I'm so sorry…"

"Love, you did nothing wrong. It's not your fault at all."

"So where's that cake?" Danny asked as he came downstairs for a cup of coffee, half an hour after the power came back on.

"You'll have to wait for it a bit, dude," Spencer told him, watching Merril pull them out of the oven. "We had an… accident."

"The blackout? Wes said the twins caused it." Merril almost dropped one of the tins. "To prank Dwight or something."

"Well, you can tell them they're not getting any cake now!"

Danny just laughed. "Whatever you say, mom."


End file.
